Piercing assembly

ABSTRACT

A piercing assembly is incorporated as a work station in a camoperated machine such as a cam eyelet machine by mounting in the machine frame the combination of: a movable pin adapted to engage a work piece, an advancing cam and a pair of lifting cams mounted on a rotatable shaft, a cam follower to the advancing cam adapted to engage and move the pin, a slide carrying a punch for piercing the work piece, a centrally pivoted arm having a head for engaging and reciprocating the slide, a pair of lever arms linked one to each end of the centrally pivoted arm, and a pair of cam followers mounted one on each of the lever arms for alternate engagement with the lifting cams; the cam surfaces of the advancing cam and the pair of lifting cams being positioned such that engagement of the advancing cam and the lifting cams with their respective cam followers causes piercing of the work piece by the punch when the work piece has been engaged by the pin, alternating with disengagement of the pin from the work piece when the punch is withdrawn.

United States Patent [191 Jannetty PIERCING ASSEMBLY [76] Inventor: Louis F. Jannetty, 78 Lynwood Dr.,

Cheshire, Conn.

[22] Filed: July 21, 1972 [21] Appl. N0.: 273,697

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 105,247, Jan. 11,

1971, abandoned.

[52] U.S. Cl 83/143, 83/194, 83/622, 83/627, 83/633 [51] Int. Cl B26d 5/08 [58] Field of Search 83/192, 193, 194, 83/627, 628, 632, 633, 519, 618, 622, 142, 143, 140, 138, 54

[4 1 Jan.1,1974

Primary ExaminerAndrew R. Juhasz Assistant Examiner-James F. Coan Attorney-Anthony P. DeLio et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A piercing assembly is incorporated as a work station in a cam-operated machine such as a cam eyelet machine by mounting in the machine frame the combination of: a movable pin adapted to engage a work piece, an advancing cam and a pair of lifting cams mounted on a rotatable shaft, a cam follower to the advancing cam adapted to engage and move the pin, a slide carrying a punch for piercing the work piece, a centrally pivoted arm having a head for engaging and reciprocating the slide, a pair of lever arms linked one to each end of the centrally pivoted arm, and a pair of cam followers mounted one on each of the lever arms for alternate engagement with the lifting earns; the cam surfaces of the advancing cam and the pair of lifting cams being positioned such that engagement of the advancing cam and the lifting cams with their respective cam followers causes piercing of the work piece by the punch when the work piece has been engaged by the pin, alternating with disengagement of the pin from the work piece when the punch is withdrawn.

1 1 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures P'ATENTEIJJAHJIBN 3.782.231 SHEEIIUFZ gm Lows F. Alanna-PM BY 3 6%) M ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJAN 1 I974 SHE El 2 OF 2 INVENTOR Louus F jahnefirq ,D 0240 NO M W e i 'li olwEYS IPIERCING ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 105,247 filed Jan. 11, 1971 and now abandoned.

This invention relates to a cam-operated machine such as a cam eyelet machine, and to a piercing assembly therefor. More particularly, the invention relates to a new and improved piercing assembly for use in a camoperated machine where an operation of the piercing assembly is timed with other work operations of the machine.

Cam eyelet machines, such as illustrated by U. S. Pat. No. 3,199,358, usually'are provided with a plurality of work stations and a plurality of plungers or punches cooperating with a plurality of dies to accomplish various metal working operations'such as blanking, pumping, fluting, drawing, bulging, curling, flanging, piercing and trimming. One or more of these operations may be provided in the same machine by suitable modifications, most often in the form of attachments tooled to the work requirement.

While methods of piercing a work piece, such as a cupped metal blank, are known in which plungers and punches are actuated by cams to engage the work and to perform the piercing operation, expensive modifications and bulky attachments are required, thus contributing to the expense of the operation, and .known techniques tend to be inefficient.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a new and improved piercing assembly for a camoperated machine which may be incorporated as a work station in such machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved piercing assembly for a cam eyelet machine which may be used to pierce one or more positions in a metal work piece blank.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved cam eyelet machine incorporating a piercing assembly in which the mechanism of piercing cooperates with existing-plunger mechanisms to facilitate incorporation of the piercing operation as a work station in a multiple work station machine.

Still other objects, features and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specificiation.

In brief outline, the piercing assembly of the inven tion includes a machine frame, a movable pin adapted to engage a work piece, a shaft rotatably mounted in the frame, an advancing cam and a pair of lifting cams mounted on the shaft, a cam follower to the advancing cam adapted to engage and move the pin, a sliding member in the frame carrying a punch for piercing the work piece, a centrally pivoted arm mounted in the frame and having a head for engaging and reciprocating the sliding member, a pair of lever arms linked one to each end of the centrally pivoted arm, and a pair of cam followers mounted one on each of the lever arms for alternate engagementwith the lifting earns, the cam surfaces of the advancing cam and the pair of lifting cams being positioned such that engagement of the advancing cam and the lifting cams with their respective cam followers causes engagement-of the work piece by the pin and piercing of the work piece by'the punch, al

ternating with withdrawal of the punch and disengagement of the pin.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangements of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial front elevational view of a multistation cam eyelet machine with certain parts broken away for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlargement of a portion of FIG. 1, with a portion thereof broken away to show underlying structure;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a cam eyelet machine having a frame 11 is provided with a die bed 12 on which are mounted a plurality of dies 13, one for each operating station of the machine. A main shaft 14 is rotatably mounted in frame 11 and is driven by any suitable means, such as by a motor (not shown) driving a pulley 15 on the main shaft through an endless belt 16. A cam shaft 17 is journaled in frame 11 and is driven from the main shaft by means of meshing gears 18 and 19 mounted on the ends of the cam shaft and main shaft, respectively. The cam shaft may also be used to operate the transfer mechanism, shown generally at 21, through a pair of bevel gears 22. Further description of the transfer mechanism is deemed unnecessary since it forms no part of the invention herein and such transfer mechanisms are known in the art.

Mounted on cam shaft 17 are a plurality of advancing earns 24 and lifter cams 25, one each being provided for each operating station of the machine.

Positioned below each advancing cam is a plunger mechanism. Since the plunger mechanisms for each operating station are substantially alike, the mechanism at one station only will be described. The mechanism comprises a plunger 26 slidably mounted in bearings 27 carried by frame 11. The cross-sectional configuration of plunger 26 may be square to prevent rotation of the plunger. The lower end of plunger 26 (except the plunger to the left of the drawing.) is provided with a punch 28 having any preselected configuration to cooperate with die 13 to perform the desired operation at the particular station of the machine.

Mounted to the top of plunger 26 is an adjustable wedge, indicated generally at 29, which carries a cam follower 31. The cam follower is rotatably mounted in the adjustable wedge. The adjustable wedge provides fine adjustment of the position'of' the cam follower, as is known in the art.

Lowersh'aft 32 carries one or more advancing cams 33 and'cam followers 34. Also mounted on shaft 32 is a piercing assembly 35 comprising a pair of lifting'cams 47 separated byan advancingcam 33, and cam followers 49 for lifting cams 47. Other elements and details of piercing assembly 35 will be apparent from FIGS. 2-6.

With reference to FIGS. 2-6, piercing assembly 35 additionally includes a support member 36 for rigid positioning of an anvil 37. The anvil 37 preferably is hollow and has an aperture 37a in a wall thereof, such as a vertical wall. A suction hose (not shown) may be connected to anvil 37 to withdraw pieces of metal dropped into the interior of the anvil by the piercing operation. A work piece such as a cupped metal blank 38 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 prior to contact with anvil 37, and positioned on the anvil for piercing, respectively. A punch 39 is mounted in any suitable manner, such as by screws 39a, on a punch slide 40.

Complementing piercing assembly 35 is stripper assembly 41 comprising a stripping fork or plate such as ring 42 mounted on frame 11 such as by spring-loaded bolts 43.

A pin 45 for engaging and positioning work piece 38 on anvil 37 is movably held by a guide block 46. Piercing assembly 35 further includes a pair of lifting cams 47 separated by a conventional advancing cam 33, cams 47 each having a cam surface, such as a projection 48. Below the pair of cams 47 and in operative contact therewith are a pair of cam followers such as wheels 49, one of each being mounted on each of a pair of lever arms SI and 52. Preferably, lever arms 51 and 52 are pivoted at one of the ends thereof, the other of the ends being connected to linkages such as a turnbuckle assembly 53. Cam followers 49 preferably are mounted between the ends of lever arms 51 and 52. The turnbuckle assemblies in turn are connected to each end of a centrally pivoted arm 55 having a head member 56. Turnbuckle assemblies 53 permit adjustment of the lengths of the two shafts, whereby head 56 in turn may be positioned as desired, in order to adjust the depth of piercing by punch 39, for example.

As indicated above, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, piercing assembly 36 may include a second punch 57 mounted on punch slide 40 for piercing of another wall of work piece 38. Punch 57 becomes operative in the same manner as punch 39 except that whereas punch 39 responds to the downward urging of lever arm 52 by projection 48 of the foreground cam 47 (FIGS. 4), punch 57 responds to the downward urging of lever arm 51 by projection 48 of the rearward cam 47. As shown in FIG. 4, the double piercing occurs in quick succession by virtue of the relative positioning of cams 47 on shaft 32, as explained below.

A portion of transfer mechanism 21 includes transfer slide 58, these being known elements of a cam eyelet machine. As more clearly shown in FIG. 4, cam follower 34 is fixed in place by a set screw 59 which may be advanced into a slot 61.

In operation, main shaft 14 is driven through pulley l5 and endless belt 1-6 by means of a motor (not shown). The main shaft effects rotation of upper cam shaft 17 through gears 18 and I9 and the upper cam shaft in turn rotates the transfer mechanism 21 and the lower cam shaft 32 through a shaft linking the pair of bevel gears 22. Each station of the machine is independently controlled by an advancing cam 24 and a lifting cam 25 in that advancing cam 24 acts upon cam follower 31 to advance plunger 26 and punches 28 carried on the plungers into die 13. In timed relation to the movement of advancing cam 24, the cams 33 on lower cam shaft 32 cooperate with cam followers 34 to operate on the lower portions of dies 13 to do useful work, such as holding a blank in place on an anvil or to cause removal (knock out) of a work piece, in a known manner. With respect to piercing assembly 35, the timed movement of cam shaft 32 and positioning of lifter cams 47 cooperate to cause piercing of a work piece 38 in a manner now to be explained.

For double piercing, it will be noted (FIG. 4) that although cams 47 are identical in configuration, each having a cam surface projection 48 and a depression 48a adjacent the projection 48, the cams 47 are mounted on shaft 32 in opposite directions, such that the projection 48 of one cam 47 is positioned laterally of the depression 48a of the other cam 47. Accordingly, when the cams 47 rotate clockwise with cam 33, the projection 48 of the foreground cam 47 contacts follower 49 at the same time that the depression 48a (shown in outline in FIG. 4) of the rearward cam 47 reaches the follower 49 of lever arm 51. In consequence, when projection 48 of foreground cam 47 urges lever arm 52 downwardly, the follower 49 of the rearward cam 47 enters the rearward depression 48a, thus permitting lever arm 51 to elevate. The opposing vertical motions of lever arms 51 and 52 cause reciprocal biasing of head 56 of arm 55, the head 56 in turn then reciprocating punch slide 40 as described. It will then be evident that as shaft 32 continues to rotate clockwise and cam 33 continues to urge follower 34 upwardly, projection 48 of rearward cam 47 will contact follower 49 on lever arm 51, to urge arm 51 downwardly, with simultaneous elevation of lever arm 52 by virtue of follower 49 having entered the depression 49a of foreground cam 47. In this manner the punches 39 and 57 are operated in quick succession while cam 33 continues to bias follower 34 upwardly and thereby to maintain work piece 38 in position about anvil 37.

Of course, when cam 33 moves downwardly away from follower 34, pin 45 disengages from work piece 38. The result is that punch 39 is withdrawn from work piece 38 and the ring 42 of stripper assembly 41 is biased by the springs on spring loaded bolts 43 to strip or unload work piece 38 from anvil 37.

While it is possible to effect single piercing by the use of one cam 47 together with a second cam identical to cam 47 except for the absence of a projection 48, the cams otherwise being positioned and operative as described above, in practice it is best to use two identical earns 47 even though one of the cams does not cause piercing due to the absence ofa second punch mounted on punch slide 40.

By virtue of the continuous rotation of shafts l7 and 32, the operations of positioning of the work piece on the anvil, piercing, and then stripping of the work piece, are accomplished sequentially and repeatedly on work pieces moved through the machine by transfer slide 58.

It should be noted that the incorporation of a piercing assembly 35 and a stripper assembly 41 into a cam eyelet machine is readily accomplished by means of the elements described, by virtue of the ease of disassembling and adjusting the various components, such as pin 45, guide block 46, and the modification of punch slide 40 to accommodate centrally pivoted arm 55. Moreover, as indicated, the piercing assembly permits incorporation of more than one punch, as well as the positioning of the punches at different points around the work piece. Accordingly, the invention permits side piercing of a work piece over a die or side piercing in a die, depending on the positioning and tooling of the die. Likewise, by suitable modification, top flange piercing may be provided by a piercing assembly of the invention.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intedned to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

l. In a piercing assembly the combination of:

a machine frame,

a movable pin adapted to engage a work piece,

a shaft rotatably mounted in said frame,

an advancing cam and a pair of lifting cams mounted on said shaft,

a cam follower to said advancing cam adapted to engage and move said pin,

a sliding member in said frame carrying a punch for piercing said work piece,

a centrally pivoted arm mounted in said frame and having a head for engaging and reciprocating said sliding member,

a pair of lever arms linked one to each end of said centrally pivoted arm, and

a pair of cam followers mounted one on each of said lever arms for alternate engagement with said lifting cams,

the cam surfaces of said advancing cam and said pair of lifting cams being positioned such that engagement of said advancing cam and said lifting cams with their respective cam followers causes engagement of said work piece by said pin and piercing of said work piece by said punch, alternating with withdrawal of said punch and disengagement of said pin.

2. Structure as in claim 1 including a second punch carried on said sliding member for piercing said work piece.

3. Structure as in claim 1 wherein the lower end of said plunger is apertured to receive said punch.

4. Structure as in claim 1 including means for strip- 6 ping said work piece from said plunger upon disengagement of said advancing cam with its cam follower.

5. Structure as in claim 1 wherein said punch is positioned to pierce said work piece in a vertical wall thereof.

6. Structure as in claim 1 wherein the ends of said lever arms are linked to said centrally pivoted arm through a pair of turnbuckle assemblies.

7. Structure as in claim 1 including an anvil mounted in said frame and adapted to engage said work piece from a direction different from that of said pin.

8. In combination:

a machine frame,

a first shaft rotatably mounted in said frame,

a first advancing cam mounted on said first shaft,

an anvil mounted in said frame and adapted to engage a work piece,

a movable pin adapted to engage said work piece from a direction different from that of said anvil,

a second shaft rotatably mounted in said frame and operatively connected to said first shaft,

a second advancing cam and a pair of lifting cams mounted on said second shaft,

a cam follower to said second advancing cam adapted to engage and move said pin,

a sliding member in said frame carrying a punch for piercing said work piece,

a centrally pivoted arm mounted in said frame and having a head for engaging and reciprocating said sliding member,

a pair of lever arms linked one to each end of said centrally pivoted arm, and

a pair of cam followers mounted one on each of said lever arms for alternate engagement with said lifting cams,

the cam surfaces of said second advancing cam and said pair of lifting cams being positioned such that engagement of said second advancing cam and said lifting cams with their respective cam followers causes engagement of said work piece by said pin and piercing of said work piece by said punch, alternating with withdrawal of said punch and disengagement of said pin.

9. Structure as in claim 8 wherein said second shaft is mounted below said first shaft.

10. Structure as in claim 8 including two pairs of bevel gears and a shaft, for operatively linking said first and second shafts.

11. Structure as in claim 8 including a pair of turnbuckle assemblies adapted to link said pair of lever arms to said pivoted arm. 

1. In a piercing asseMbly the combination of: a machine frame, a movable pin adapted to engage a work piece, a shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, an advancing cam and a pair of lifting cams mounted on said shaft, a cam follower to said advancing cam adapted to engage and move said pin, a sliding member in said frame carrying a punch for piercing said work piece, a centrally pivoted arm mounted in said frame and having a head for engaging and reciprocating said sliding member, a pair of lever arms linked one to each end of said centrally pivoted arm, and a pair of cam followers mounted one on each of said lever arms for alternate engagement with said lifting cams, the cam surfaces of said advancing cam and said pair of lifting cams being positioned such that engagement of said advancing cam and said lifting cams with their respective cam followers causes engagement of said work piece by said pin and piercing of said work piece by said punch, alternating with withdrawal of said punch and disengagement of said pin.
 2. Structure as in claim 1 including a second punch carried on said sliding member for piercing said work piece.
 3. Structure as in claim 1 wherein the lower end of said plunger is apertured to receive said punch.
 4. Structure as in claim 1 including means for stripping said work piece from said plunger upon disengagement of said advancing cam with its cam follower.
 5. Structure as in claim 1 wherein said punch is positioned to pierce said work piece in a vertical wall thereof.
 6. Structure as in claim 1 wherein the ends of said lever arms are linked to said centrally pivoted arm through a pair of turnbuckle assemblies.
 7. Structure as in claim 1 including an anvil mounted in said frame and adapted to engage said work piece from a direction different from that of said pin.
 8. In combination: a machine frame, a first shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, a first advancing cam mounted on said first shaft, an anvil mounted in said frame and adapted to engage a work piece, a movable pin adapted to engage said work piece from a direction different from that of said anvil, a second shaft rotatably mounted in said frame and operatively connected to said first shaft, a second advancing cam and a pair of lifting cams mounted on said second shaft, a cam follower to said second advancing cam adapted to engage and move said pin, a sliding member in said frame carrying a punch for piercing said work piece, a centrally pivoted arm mounted in said frame and having a head for engaging and reciprocating said sliding member, a pair of lever arms linked one to each end of said centrally pivoted arm, and a pair of cam followers mounted one on each of said lever arms for alternate engagement with said lifting cams, the cam surfaces of said second advancing cam and said pair of lifting cams being positioned such that engagement of said second advancing cam and said lifting cams with their respective cam followers causes engagement of said work piece by said pin and piercing of said work piece by said punch, alternating with withdrawal of said punch and disengagement of said pin.
 9. Structure as in claim 8 wherein said second shaft is mounted below said first shaft.
 10. Structure as in claim 8 including two pairs of bevel gears and a shaft, for operatively linking said first and second shafts.
 11. Structure as in claim 8 including a pair of turnbuckle assemblies adapted to link said pair of lever arms to said pivoted arm. 